


A Winter's Tail

by OnceUponAFez, StarkPark



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Fluff, literal fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 06:30:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15407076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OnceUponAFez/pseuds/OnceUponAFez, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarkPark/pseuds/StarkPark
Summary: I thought of this ages ago and thanks to StarkPark, it's finished. This could become before or after An Unexpected Visit but either way, I thought it was fun for Tilly and pooch to be a little mischievous.





	A Winter's Tail

She remembered when he'd first found her. She'd been minding her own business when all of a sudden she was chasing after him. _The little thief!_

"Oi! Hand it over!" She'd demanded, eventually cornering him. He'd dropped the paper bag and backed away, leaving her to snatch it up.

"You coulda just asked." She'd told him when they returned to one of her favourite hangouts: The Troll Bridge. He'd followed her and now simply looked down at his paws and whimpered.

"Here." She'd said guiltily, holding out half of her marmalade sandwich. _Who could possibly resist a face like that?_ Not her.

From then, the black fur-ball had been a faithful companion, keeping her warm, warning her about potential problems, and even helping to track down snacks. He wasn't her dog though, he was the city's. That's why she'd never given him a name, it didn't seem appropriate. The city, however, had taken to naming him Max. Though Roni often chose a name from her list of numerous insults; Trip Hazard was her usual go to given the amount of times he would lay in precisely the wrong place behind the bar. Everyone knew he was her favourite mutt in Hyperion Heights though.

**********

December was here and for many that meant holiday cheer and family, but for Tilly it meant struggling through the cold and freezing nights. She had Max and Rogers looking out for her this year though. The snow had arrived and with that meant snowmen and snowball fights, things Tilly was excited to share with her new friends.

She found herself walking across the street to the police station—a little too often nowadays—just to see if her favourite detective was there. Max tagged along obviously, he was her new partner-in-crime.

They crouched behind Rogers' car, well, Tilly crouched while Max stood. She popped her head up to look over the bonnet, then back down and turned to Max.

"Alright pup, this is risky business, if I get caught save yourself. I throw it, then we run like mad back to the park, okay?" She said. Max nodded, ready for action, then gave her a puppy smooch. "I've not got many shots. Let's do this." Tilly put out her hand, palm facing downwards, before Max's paw balanced on top, then she placed her other hand on top of his paw.

"1, 2, 3, break!"

Max led the way, army-crawling around the back of the car with Tilly close behind.

"Is he there yet?" She asked the dog, as if he were going to say something.

Max edged his head further out. Not seeing the man, he gave a little grumble. But then the door to the station opened and just as they hoped, Rogers walked their way, zipping up his coat. Max snapped his head back round to Tilly, a hushed bark coming out of him.

A grin spread across her face.

Her knees straightened and arms wound round, launching snowballs on the unsuspecting man. She'd managed to fire three snowballs in quick succession before she'd crouched once more, her head poking over the bonnet in order to witness the ambush. The first caught Rogers in the chest, the second landing atop his boot and the last one missed. Tilly burst out in laughter. No doubt the pooch was having a giggle too.

"Tilly!" Rogers bellowed, swatting off the snow. He was looking around the street trying to catch a glimpse of the girl, presumably with her menace of a pet too. That's when the pair realised they'd, technically, assaulted a police officer. They bolted off as fast as they dared, leaving Rogers shaking his head and watching as the four-legged black blur and blonde-haired culprit rounded the corner.

They sprinted all the way to the park. Tilly almost slipped a few times, and Max fell flat on his stomach more than once.

"I think we lost him." She said, bending over for a few breaths. Max rolled over in the snow-covered grass, paws stretched upwards. "Silly pooch." She sniffed. He whined in response, not caring about his looks.

"Hey!" Came a shout.

She shouldn't have, but Tilly turned. It was too late. A snowball hurtling in her direction struck her square in the face. A gobsmacked Rogers appeared from behind a lopsided snowman. "I am so sorry." He gawked. Admittedly, Rogers had underestimated his aiming skills.

"Bad form!" Tilly shouted back, diving behind the nearby bench. She had no idea why she'd shouted such a phrase, but it had come naturally so shrugged it off.

Snowballs rained down on each side but Rogers ultimately admitted defeat when Max came to Tilly's rescue, running over to Rogers and digging up snow in the man's direction. He made such a fuss you would have thought something horrendous was happening to him.

"Tilly!" Rogers yelled across the park, "Stop the bloody dog will you?... Tilly!"

When she jogged over, Tilly found Max relentlessly showering the—now lying down—detective in muddy snow.

"Do you surrender?" She asked, one hand behind her back, the other on her hip.

"Yes, yes, I surrender. Call off the bloody menace." He replied, arms covering his face. She whistled then shooed the dog back.

Rogers sighed, "thank you." Letting down his guard, he smiled up at the girl, before immediately regretting it.

A last snowball pelted into his chest as Tilly gave a triumphant cry: "Winners!"

She chuckled even harder when Max helped Rogers out with a consolatory kiss on the cheek.

"Lovely." The man complained, wiping his cheek against his sleeve and making it wetter than it was before.

"So detective," Tilly smiled, "up for round 2?"

"How about a truce?" He replied. "And hot chocolate perhaps?" He raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her response.

"Oh, uh." She mumbled.

"Come on, I'm paying." He continued, knowing full well about her financial situation. "And I want to make up for the face shot." He said, guilt writhing through his veins. "Are you alright by the way?"

"It's nothing." She shrugged. "I've had worse."

"Well I've heard of the curing nature of a nice hot beverage."

She hesitated still.

"Tilly, I insist." Then he sighed, "The mutt can join us I suppose." She smiled then nodded.

They sat at the table by the window sipping their drinks with warmth around them and Max by Tilly's feet, chatting away about the winter day and when their next game of chess would be. What had started out as a fun pass-time had now become a lasting memory for Tilly. One that she would remember fondly for years to come. A girl, her dog, and detective. What more could you want?

**Author's Note:**

> I thought of this ages ago and thanks to StarkPark, it's finished. This could become before or after An Unexpected Visit but either way, I thought it was fun for Tilly and pooch to be a little mischievous.


End file.
